Meanwhile, a group of African-American intellectuals is still upset over the exploitation of the black woman in the sex tape at the centre of R. Kelly’s recent trial and thus plan to boycott the artist until he gets help for his behaviour. Never mind that R. Kelly apparently got off because the jury wasn’t convinced he was on the tape.

The Daily Swarm: Acquitted R&B superstar R. Kelly’s first post-child pornography trial album, 12 Play: Fourth Quarter, is due out soon on the singer’s longtime record label, Jive, but his management team has been seeking a new and more lucrative deal for future releases, and they’ve approached several other companies, including Interscope, home of U2 and Eminem.

In the meantime, a group of 19 male professors, writers and activists in the African-American community – including roommate from the first season of MTV’s “The Real World” turned prolific author turned New York congressional candidate Kevin Powell – have launched a petition drive expressing outrage at the verdict.

Calling themselves “Black Men Against the Exploitation of Black Women,” the group’s statement urges people to “make a personal pledge to never support R. Kelly again in any form or fashion unless he publicly apologizes for his behaviour and gets help for his long-standing sexual conduct in his private life and in his music.”